Home > 3 Electoral systems > MOLDOVA - Joint Opinion on the Draft Laws on Amending and Completing Certain Legislative Acts (Electoral System for the Election of the Parliament)
 
 
 
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Paragraph 34
 

The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission acknowledge that bringing the elected representatives closer to their constituents is a legitimate aim for the reform of an electoral system. Majoritarian systems in single-member constituencies may indeed have such effects. Keeping in mind that the choice of electoral system is the sovereign decision of the people of the Republic of Moldova, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission would nonetheless mention that the aims stated in the explanatory report to the draft law are achievable also through other options, for example, a proportional system with constituency or preference voting. Such measures can help bring voters closer to their representatives in the current proportional system, without risking the above-mentioned serious concerns that a mixed system raises in the current Moldovan political context, which far outweigh possible positive effects. The introduction of a proportional system with constituencies in the Republic of Moldova was suggested as a possible option by the Venice Commission as early as in 2003. Enabling voters to vote not only for party lists, but also for individual candidates (preference vote) could also be an option to enhance the link between the electorate and elected MPs.